Projecting the Seeds

Quick projections on how the top four seeds will look like in the NCAA Tournament and what region they will end up in.

Joe Lunardi's got nothing on me...

Region by Region:

Boston:
1. Connecticut- overall 1 seed
2. Duke
3. Memphis
4. Gonzaga

Indianapolis:
1. North Carolina
2. Pittsburgh
3. Xavier
4. Arizona St.

Memphis:
1. Michigan St.
2. Wake Forest
3. Marquette
4. Texas

Glendale:
1. Oklahoma
2. Louisville
3. UCLA
4, Purdue

If this were the case, here would be my Final Four predictions from the regions...

UConn, UNC, Michigan St., and Louisville

What's Happened to Michigan Football?

Earlier this week there was a very suspect hiring in the Big10, in my opinion. The Michigan Wolverines solved their defensive woes by hiring Greg (the 10-27 coach from Syracuse) Robinson as their new coordinator. What the hell!?

Now I am no Michigan fan in any way but if I were a Michigan fan I'd be losing it right now. There have to be so many other coaches with better track records. Well, unless you consider him an upgrade because Syracuse hasn't lost to any 1-AA schools lately and Michigan lost to Toledo this year while Syracuse only lost to Akron!

I just wanted to point out this head-scratcher to everyone else. As an Iowa fan, however, I love this hire! And I'm sure the rest of the BigTen does too.

2009 NFC Championship Predictions

Philadelphia Eagles @ Arizona Cardinals
So here we have it, the 5th and 6th seeds are facing off for a Super Bowl birth. The Eagles have been there done that, but the Cards haven't. Which gives the experience factor to the Eagles. Philly has been to 5, may I repeat that, 5 NFL Championships since 2001. Now that is impressive.

Both teams have a lot of momentum right now. The Cards' pass offense cannot be stopped, but the Eagles defense are on top of their game right now. The defense has done a great job lately with pressuring the opposing QB and keeping the running game at bay. I think the Eagles secondary is good enough to not let Warner, Fitzgerald, and Co. go off. The Eagles have done a great job of getting into the redzone and putting up points, but they need to convert those field goals in touchdowns and if they can do that, and also get their running game going and get Brian Westbrook in space, there is no doubt in my mind they will win on Sunday.

Eagles 26 Cards 19

2009 AFC Championship Preview/Prediction

Now that the college football season is done we can all focus on the NFL and the conference championship showdowns this weekend. Is it us or has defense been the theme of these playoffs? Pittsburgh and Baltimore (division foes) will square off in Pittsburgh for the passage to the Super Bowl (and a Browns fan's worst nightmare). While the Arizona Cardinals will host the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC’s spot in the big game. I will preview the AFC Championship while Stefan handles the NFC and his beloved Eagles.

The Steelers are a very well coached team that has play makers on each side of the ball and Vegas has them as the favorite here. The Ravens, on the other hand, have reached this round of the playoffs with a rookie QB from a FCS (Football Championship Series) school, Delaware, and a rookie coach. The Ravens offense last year average 17.2 ppg and 302 ypg, which landed them with the 22nd best offense in the league. They moved up to #18 this year scoring 24.1 ppg while producing 324 ypg. The Steelers rank 22nd in offense this year scoring 21.7 ppg and racking up 347 ypg.

However, offense is not going to be the story here. Defense is how each of these teams succeeded this year and its what will win on Sunday. The Steelers and Ravens are the top 2 defenses in the league giving up 13.9 ppg and 223 ypg and 15.2 ppg and 244 ypg, respectively. The Steelers won both matchups this year by a combined 7 points. This is a tough game to call but Baltimore will ultimately win, I just feel it.

I expect both teams to be able to establish the run on each other and the difference maker will be on defense. Look for guys like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed to win this game for the Ravens by pressuring Big Ben on D, getting some big hits in, and creating turnovers while Joe Flacco does just enough to win the game. It will be a great game to watch as there is snow in the forecast with a high of 27 and I love me a good defensive struggle. I say Ravens and Eagles in the Superbowl. But we'll just have to see what Stefan says about that!

Prediction: Ravens 17 Steelers 13

The Sports Flow on Sporting News

So I am a subscriber to Sporting News and after the BCS National Title Game I was meandering on the SN site and decided to give my take on who should be the number one college football team next year.

They said they would pick a few to be mentioned on the site and in Thursday's edition of Sporting News Magazine and they ended up choosing mine. I had a good feeling they would pick mine to display, I mean I am a Florida Gator football expert and plus they probably felt bad for a poor North Dakotan like me.

Here's the link: Sporting News article

Here's my take on why Florida is number one for 2009 and what I submitted.

"Florida is the top team for 2009. They could return 19 total starters, including at least 10 starters on the best defense in the nation. Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes could return, and it is likely Tebow will.

Even if the others leave, they still have plenty of playmakers in Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Aaron Hernandez on offense and Carlos Dunlap, Ryan Stamper, Major Wright and Joe Haden on defense. Add in another valuable recruiting class to one of the top coaching staffs, and you have the making of college football's next dynasty."

So there it is, I've always wanted to have something of mine on a major sports media publication such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, or Sporting News and it finally happened.

Gators Chomp Sooners

Oklahoma flapped their mouths. CB Dominique Franks said Tim Tebow was the 4th best QB they've faced all season and it didn't take as much preparation for him as the others.

Well, looks like you awoken a sleeping giant Sooners!

I think Tim Tebow resolidified himself as the best college football player last night. He was even better than Heisman winner Sam Bradford. Tebow took his team on his back and dominated the second half. He made the plays, completed 6 of 6 passes in the final drive. He threw two touchdown passes and carried the ball the final six plays to lead Florida to its 2nd national title in three years.

Tebow outplayed Bradford and showed why he's the best player in college football and why the Gators are the national champions.

The game was not out of Oklahoma's hands though. They had their chances, they were stopped twice inside the 5 yard line, including an interception after a dropped pass by the WR. True champions take advantage of these opportunities, which the Sooners did not.

The Florida defense stepped up when it needed to. They pressured Bradford at times, but although their run defense wasn't the best, they still made enough plays in the end to get it done. The plays on the goal line and the two costly interceptions by Major Wright and Ahmad Black I think clinched it in the end, along with Tebow's play.

Looking Ahead to 2009
It's never too early to look ahead to the 2009 College Football season, so here's my early top 5 teams for now:

1. Florida Gators
Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, and Brandon Spikes could all leave, but it is likely Tebow will return. 19 starters could still be back in all and at least 10 will be back on defense. If Harvin is to leave, sophomore speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey will help fill the void. The defense will be strong as ever with Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham up-front, Ryan Stamper and AJ Jones anchoring the middle, and the next big ball hawk safety in Major Wright and Joe Haden leading the way in the secondary.

2. Texas Longhorns
Colt McCoy is coming back and should lead another potent offensive attack. WR Jordan Shipley is back as well. It will be interesting to see how the defense responds after losing some key starters, but that's why they have d-coordinator Will Muschamp.

3. USC Trojans
USC returns a lot of talent. If QB Mark Sanchez returns they will have 11 starters back on offense. The defense will need to reload though, but they have backups that can step up.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide
It's scary to think what Nick Saban will do with this team. He will have them contending with the Gators for another SEC Championship and yet another national title. The defense returns 9 starters and the offense returns both RBs and one of the best WRs in the nation in Julio Jones.

5. Mississippi Rebels
Ole Miss looked incredible down the stretch. They manhandled a potent team in Texas Tech. They return load of talent and depth. QB Jevan Snead has the potential to be one of the best in the country.

BCS National Championship Preview: Florida vs. Oklahoma

3 Reasons why Florida will win:
1. Speed
Florida is easily the fastest team in the country. Oklahoma needs to account for everybody that Florida puts out on the field with the threat to take one all the way at anytime. That's Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps, Louis Murphy, Chris Rainey, Emmanuel Moody, and Brandon James.We know Urban Meyer will try to spread the field and use their speed to his advantage and also try to get his speedsters the ball in space.

2. Defense
Florida has one of the best defenses in the country. Oklahoma has faced some poor defenses all season long in the Big 12. Florida creates a ton of pressure up front and their LBs are among the best in the nation lead by Brandon Spikes. Don't count out the secondary, they have some speed as well and will fly around and smack you in the mouth.

3. Tim Tebow
Tebow's already won a Heisman and more importantly, a national title. It doesn't help that OU has been talking some trash, more specifically at Tebow. He's the guy you don't want to mess around with. Tebow will beat you with his legs and even his arm. He's a better QB than he's ever been and he can hurt you in so many ways.

3 Reasons why Oklahoma will win:
1. Offense
Oklahoma can spread you out as well. They have some big-time playmakers on their side and Sam Bradford can pick you apart all day. They can throw in front of you or even go long. Jermaine Gresham is arguably the best TE in the country and could pose some match-up problems for the Florida defense. The Sooners have some quality skill position players and will use it to their advantage.

2. The Trenches
Specifically on the offensive end, OU has one of the best lines in the country. Lead by All-American OT Duke Robinson and Big 12 1st-teamers C Jon Cooper and OT Phil Loadholt have dominated all season long. They've only given up 11 sacks all season. I give them a slight advantage over the Florida D-Line.

3. Senior Leadership
Florida only has two senior starters, both on offense and only two starters back from the 2006 BCS National Championship team (LT Phil Trautwein and Percy Harvin); plus, only a handful of players back whom actually played in that game. OU has 8 senior starters. Safety Nic Harris will start the 50th game of his career and the o-line has a combined 170 total starts. Experience is always a big key.

Prediction:
Florida 34 Oklahoma 20

Oklahoma hasn't seen a defense as good as Florida's all season long. Florida's speed could offset just about everything else in this game. Florida is ready and Tim Tebow is furious after losing the Heisman to Bradford and the comments coming from the Oklahoma players. Florida has an advantage just about everywhere in this game. They have better depth, coaching, speed, special teams, defense, and even offense. Plus, RB DeMarco Murray and DT DeMarcus Granger are both out.

The Big XII is overrated, as has shown this bowl season. Texas squeaked by Ohio St., Texas Tech got pounded by Ole Miss and Oklahoma St. was upset by Oregon, while the SEC is sitting 5-1 in their bowl games. The SEC has definitely shown they are the best conference once again and they haven't lost in the BCS National title game with a 3-0 record. Look for that trend to continue after Thursday night.

NFC Divisional Playoff Predictions

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers
The Cards could be a good choice right now, but they did face an inexperienced team with a rookie QB in the Falcons. Plus, they're a pretty good team at home. Arizona is obviously a great passing team with Kurt Warner and a trio of WRs in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston. But Carolina is amazing at home; they're unblemished, a solid 8-0 in Charlotte. I think the Panthers are on a mission to finally get something done. Jake Delhomme has picked up his game compared to the last few seasons and DeAngelo Williams has been very impressive running the ball for Carolina towards the end of the season. Defense has been a question sometimes, but at times they've also looked very stellar. The Panthers have enough firepower and some defense to shoot the Cards.

Panthers 31 Cards 23

Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
A lot of people are jumping on the Eagles bandwagon and that could be easy for me to do. They have a lot of momentum right now. Donovan McNabb is looking as good as he's been in several years, and their defense is phenomenal right now. The Giants are also a little banged up; the two-headed monster in the backfield are both less than 100%. Brandon Jacobs could be the key, if he isn't his normal self, I think the Eagles have a great chance. Also, remember no Plaxico, which is something the Giants didn't have in their last game vs. the Eagles, in which they lost. Can the Giants defend their title? Or will the Eagles continue to ride the wave of momentum?

Eagles 27 Giants 24

AFC Divisional-Round Playoff Predictions

Pittsburgh Steelers over the San Diego Chargers

I don't like doing this because when it comes to predicting the NFL playoffs I go by which team is hottest. It's also worth mentioning the last 3 SB winners have come from wildcard weekend. This is going to be a great game no matter what. The Chargers are hot right now without question. But, with an injured LT things become questionable. Darren Sproles carried the work load and did a magnificent job of it against the Colts, but it will be another challenge entirely to do it against the Steelers and the leagues best defense. The weather looks to be in the high teens and snowing, playing into the Steelers favor. The Chargers will make it a game no doubt. But I think the Steelers are just the better team, and will (hopefully) play like such but I'm not overly confident.

Steelers-17, Chargers-13

Baltimore Ravens over the Tennessee Titans

The Ravens are red hot right now and Joe Flacco's got me thinking about the year when the Steelers won the Super Bowl with Roethlisberger at the helm as a rookie. I feel like the extra time off hurts the Titans here too especially how hot the Ravens are right now. The Ravens have the D to shut down the run and make Collins beat them with the pass. Kerry Collins might be old but if forced to he can still beat teams....just not the Ravens. Flacco is plenty good enough to take advantage of the field position given to him by his D and gets some help along the way. I forsee a very defensive game.

Ravens-10 Titans-6

Year End Awards for Sports Dummies

So after a long day of a funeral and hunting I had intended on starting a TSF 2008 countdown but I found this extensive "Year End Awards for Sports Dummies", it starts at 44 and goes all the way to 1. I've read them all and it's a pretty good countdown. You should check it out!

Now here's an idea....

With the celebrity world abuzz over the engagement of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen I got a great idea. Maybe Bill Belichick would like to be the videographer for the wedding!? Seems fitting doesn't it?

Big Unit Signs with Giants

The Big Unit will give it another go in the NL West next season in his question for 300. The 45-year-old, five time Cy Young Award winner signed a one year, $8 million contract with the San Fransisco Giants Friday night. The contract joins Johnson with an already formidable Giants staff that features former Cy Young winners Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito as well as the highly touted Matt Cain.

FANTASY IMPACT
Johnson has gone to a very good place and this really helps his fantasy value for next season. While the Giants' offense is nothing to write home about (in fact it's nothing to write anywhere about) the Big Unit should see similar success to what he saw in the second half of last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Don't be totally fooled by Johnson's overall numbers, his second half numbers showed flashes of the Unit of old we are used to seeing.

IMPACT ON THE GIANTS

Johnson's numbers picked up in the second half as he got healthier and came to terms with what he now is as a pitcher. Less power, more finesse, pitching more to contact and allowing the defense to do their jobs really allowed Johnson to thrive. Not to mention the fact that he'll be going from a good hitter's park to a good pitcher's park..He isn't the dominant ace he once was in years past, but you can still expect near 15 wins, 175Ks and an ERA in the low 3.00s. I feel like this was a really good move for the Giants and helps their pitching stall out a lot really. The Giants need a lot more help than just the Big Unit if they want to contend though. But Ming should be excited because this was a step in the right direction.

A Bold Prediction: UNC's only loss will be...

I've been hearing talks of the North Carolina Tar Heels finishing undefeated this season. This is certainly not out of the question.

They are definitely the number one team in the country and there is only one other team that comes close to them (UConn) in my mind.

UNC is a dominant team and is one of the best in years. They have the best guards in the nation, the best depth, a high-powered offense, one of the best players in Tyler Hansbrough and also one of the best coaches in Roy Williams.

When you watch this Tar Heel team, they look like an NBA team out there on the court.

They could easily finish the regular season unblemished, but they won't. I predict they will finish the season with one loss. Like Memphis did last year.

UNC's only regular season loss will come to...... wait for it......

WAKE FOREST.

Yes, you heard that right. On January 11th, the Heels' go to the Demon-Deacons (man that's weird to say) house and stumble.

Wake Forest is a very underrated team. They are very versatile and talented, young, but extremely athletic and talented. They play great defense and have a sound offense. Jeff Teague and James Johnson are tremendous players for the Deacons.

But, North Carolina will recuperate after this loss. Wake will give UNC a taste of it's own medicine in January, but UNC will heal its wounds and make them even hungrier, where they will then tear off 14 staight wins going into March.

You heard it here first.

After you make your prediction make sure you go to the game to see what happens! If you don't have the funds for a ticket get a cash advance and never miss a game!

Seasons Postings

Sorry Santa, The Sports Flow hasn't been a good blog lately. We've been bombarded with college stuff and Christmas. Sorry to our fellow posters/readers with the lack of posting. But we wanted to wish everybody a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We will now start out with our 2008 Year in Review. We promise to get out posting back on track.

How would Ed Hochuli Rule this One?

So I don't know if anyone else has seen this but Kyle Orton's neckbeard is not very good at spiking a football. But I must draw the comparison....was his arm moving forward or not? What's the ruling Ed? Compare and contrast...

Watch out Ohio State!

Hot Damn! Ohio State better hope that the Fiesta Bowl doesn't turn into a shootout!

Can anybody stop UNC?

After some impressive wins, including Notre Dame and the pummeling of Michigan St., UNC is easily the favorite to cut down the nets in April.

It's not supposed to be like this; a team this well-coached, talented, and this high-caliber, is not supposed to return 10 of 11 players, 4 of whom could've been drafted in the NBA. Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green all decided to return.

North Carolina looked so good and so much better than everybody else in the country after the 98-63 drubbing of 12th ranked Michigan St.

UNC looked so dominant and just too deep and talented against a Michigan St. team, who is expected to be a Final Four contender this year.

UNC manhandled the Spartans, they had too much speed. Hansbrough and Deon Thompson were too much down low and Lawson and Ellington made Kalin Lucas and Travis Walton look like high-schoolers.

Which comes to the question, can anybody beat this Tar Heel squad? It's almost like they're destined for a Final Four and National Championship run, it's only a matter of time.

It's tough to argue against them. They could easily finish the regular season undefeated. They have tough road games at Wake Forest, Miami and the annual showdown with Duke. But I don't see them losing any of those right now even.

The NCAA Tournament could be different. Really, if you ask me, there are only two teams right now that could give the Heels a run for their money.

That's the UConn Huskies and Gonzaga Bulldogs. Both teams have strong frontcourts and could hold down the Heels' inside.

We all saw what Josh Heytvelt did to Hansbrough two years ago. Then there's 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet. I feel he is the best big in the country and he could cause problems inside for the Tar Heels, were they to meet.

The Huskies could give match-up problems with UNC. Thabeet down low on Hansbrough, Jeff Adrien could be a tough match-up with Thompson and guards AJ Price, Jerome Dyson, and Craig Austrie can play with the Heels' guards. But UNC's depth could off-set that difference.

As for Gonzaga, this may be their best team yet, they finally have the depth and the toughness to go all the way.

But all in all, it will be hard to bet against this North Carolina team right now.

The Williams Wall Needs to be Very Careful

So most of my friends who like football are Vikings fans. Most were heartbroken when they found out about the suspensions to Pat and Kevin Williams. Then they were elated when they heard that their suspensions are being fought in court. Well don't jump to conclusions my silly purple-loving friends.

This appeal is not necessarily good. So if they fight this off long enough odds are is that they will be allowed to play this weekend against the Detroit Lions. The thing is that in the court of law these men are innocent until proven guilty. But what is innocent and what is guilty in this case? Players are claiming that the league knew that this masking agent was present in the starburst or whatever they are called. But the league is very serious about players knowing what they put in their bodies. These players have no defense against that. They can fight and say that they didn't know that that masking agent was present in the pill. But will that matter? They can say that others knew but they weren't told. Will that matter either? It is their responsibility to know what they put into their bodies, and the NFL is very clear about that. Not to mention that there are dozens of better ways to lose weight that a dietetic.

If they fight this they might be able to hold off long enough to play this weekend against the Lions. But is that a good idea? By fighting this off for a week and then if the NFL rules they still have to serve the suspension that will mean that they must sit out the last 3 regular season games AND THEN the wildcard weekend playoff game that we are assuming they'd be able to hold on to. Is it worth it? For all my silly purple friends out there I hope that they put a little bit of thought into this and assess the risks of fighting this in court.

Playoffs?

It seems like everywhere I turn, on the Internet, in the sports world, it's "we need a playoff system"! "The BCS needs a major overhaul!"

Well, I don't buy it.

The BCS has its flaws, yes some teams have gotten screwed over the years and a 16 or 8 team playoff seems to make more sense, but it really doesn't.

The BCS is an okay system for major College Football, it's way better than the Bowl-Alliance that we had all through out the 1990's, where we had 3 co-champs and the Big Ten and Pac 10 weren't even part of it.

But yes, the BCS needs some tweaks. A four team playoff format or plus-one, makes the most sense.

But first, an 8 or 16 team playoff would not work and would only create more problems.

Whether you take the top 8 teams or the 6 power conference champs and 2 at-large bids, it won't work. You will still have arguments for the 9th, 10th, and 11th teams who don't get in. The power conferences will want their champs to be rewarded somehow with the playoff and some years you will have 3 or 4 teams in one conference that would deserve it over another conference (like this year I feel OU, Texas, and even TT would deserve it over the Big East or ACC Champs).

If we had an 8 team playoff this year, Cincy would be in it and say Oklahoma loses to Mizzou. Wouldn't OU deserve to be in over Cincy because they beat them earlier in the season and are better than Cincy? It just makes another big mess...

As for the 16 team playoff, it may sound great, but it will never become reality. College Football has such a rich tradition in bowl games. It's what makes College Football so great.

Not many people would want to take away from that. A 16 team playoff would diminish the regular season and you would have to shorten it somehow.

A 16 team or more playoff is not gonna happen unless you decrease some regular season games and more importantly conference games. All in all, not gonna happen. Most coaches and university presidents already hate teams that play 12-13 games as it is. Plus, it's more than just football, it will interfere with finals.

Which comes down to a 4 team playoff. In my mind, this makes the most sense. Most years, it usually comes down to 3-4 teams anyways and there is a bigger difference between the 4-5th best teams than the 8-9th best teams.

You wouldn't have to cut any regular season games, you can keep the bowl tradition and it's just one extra game for two teams; and I don't think any college coach or president will argue over one extra game, especially when it's the national championship.

But we have to remember, no system is perfect. But I'd rather have the BCS than an 8 team and above playoff.

All in all, the Bowl tradition is what makes College Football so great. A huge playoff format simply would create more havoc and ruin what makes this sport so great.

An Idea To Save the NFL on Thanksgiving

Ok, so I'm sure that most of you sports fans like me love to watch NFL football on Thanksgiving. This is not a far fetched assumption by any means because the Thanksgiving Noon game is the 2nd most watched game of the year (second only to the SuperBowl!). So assuming you all watched like I did I'm sure you were also disgusted by how unentertaining the games really were.

It is truly a tragedy to have the Lions host one of the games each and every Thanksgiving. What a waste of quality entertainment. The Cowboys I can understand because they are America's team really. Now, I know that you can't very easily just take Detroit off of Thanksgiving day and leave Dallas. People wouldn't like that very much because It is breaking the tradition. But what if there was a new tradition?

Here is what I propose, let me know what you think. There are 3 games each Thanksgiving. The teams that win their respective games host that game the next season. For example, Tennessee hosts the noon game next year, Dallas at 3, and Philly's got the night game. It would add a cool feel to it I think and would help add some variety and some added quality to the Thanksgiving day match ups. Wouldn't you agree?